Summary of the Bhagavad Gita
(Found years ago on the internet, but the original web page has long since vanished.)
Chapter 1: Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra
As the opposing armies stand poised for battle, Arjuna, the mighty warrior, sees his intimate relatives, teachers and friends in both armies ready to fight and sacrifice their lives. Overcome by grief and pity, Arjuna fails in strength, his mind becomes bewildered, and he gives up his determination to fight.
Chapter 2: Contents of the Gita Summarised
Arjuna submits to Lord Krishna as His disciple, and Krishna begins His teachings
to Arjuna by explaining the fundamental distinction between the temporary material
body and the eternal spirit soul. The Lord explains the process of transmigration,
the nature of selfless service to the Supreme and the characteristics of a self-
Chapter 3: Karma-
Everyone must engage in some sort of activity in this material world. But actions can either bind one to this world or liberate one from it. By acting for the pleasure of the Supreme, without selfish motives, one can be liberated from the law of karma (action and reaction) and attain transcendental knowledge of the self and the Supreme.
Chapter 4: Transcendental Knowledge
Transcendental knowledge -
Chapter 5: Karma-
Outwardly performing all actions but inwardly renouncing their fruits, the wise man, purified by the fire of transcendental knowledge, attains peace, detachment, forbearance, spiritual vision and bliss.
Chapter 6: Dhyana-
Astanga-
Chapter 7: Knowledge of the Absolute
Lord Krishna is the Supreme Truth, the supreme cause and sustaining force of everything, both material and spiritual. Advanced souls surrender unto Him in devotion, whereas impious souls divert their minds to other objects of worship.
Chapter 8: Attaining the Supreme
By remembering Lord Krishna in devotion throughout one's life, and especiagy at the time of death, one can attain to His supreme abode, beyond the material world.
Chapter 9: The Most Confidential Knowledge
Lord Krishna is the Supreme Godhead and the supreme object of worship.
The soul is eternally related to Him through transcendental devotional service (bhakti). By reviving one's pure devotion one returns to Krishna in the spiritual realm.
Chapter 10: The Opulence of the Absolute
All wondrous phenomena showing power, beauty, grandeur or sublimity, either in the material world or in the spiritual, are but partial manifestations of Krishna's divine energies and opulence. As the supreme cause of all causes and the support and essence of everything, Krishna is the supreme object of worship for all beings.
Chapter 1 1: The Universal Form
Lord Krishna grants Arjuna divine vision and reveals His spectacular unlimited form
as the cosmic universe. Thus He conclusively establishes His divinity. Krishna explains
that His own all-
Chapter 12: Devotional Service
Bhakti-
Chapter 13: Nature, the Enjoyer, and Consciousness
One who understands the difference between the body, the soul and the Supersoul beyond them both attains liberation from this material world.
Chapter 14: The Three Modes Of Material Nature
All embodied souls are under the control of the three modes, or qualities, of material
nature-
Chapter 15: The Yoga of the Supreme Person
The ultimate purpose of Vedic knowledge is to detach oneself from the entanglement of the material world and to understand Lord Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who understands Krishna's supreme identity surrenders unto Him and engages in His devotional service.
Chapter 16: The Divine And Demoniac Natures
Those who possess demoniac qualities and who live whimsically, without following the regulations of scripture, attain lower births and further material bondage. But those who possess divine qualities and live regulated lives, abiding by scriptural authority, gradually attain spiritual perfection.
Chapter 17: The Divisions of Faith
There are three types of faith, corresponding to and evolving from the three modes of material nature. Acts performed by those whose faith is in passion and ignorance yield only impermanent, material results, whereas acts performed in goodness, in accord with scriptural injunctions, purify the heart and lead to pure faith in Lord Krishna and devotion to Him.
Chapter 18: Conclusion -
Krishna explains the meaning of renunciation and the effects of the modes of nature on human consciousness and activity. He explains Brahman realisation, the glories of the Bhagavad Gita, and the ultimate conclusion of the Gita: the highest path of religion is absolute, unconditional loving surrender unto Lord Krishna, which frees one from all sins, brings one to complete enlightenment, and enables one to return to Krishna's eternal spiritual abode.